07/08/2008 - Daytona Beach, FL (Autoracing Betting) - Martin Truex, Jr.'s bid for the "Chase for the NEXTEL Cup" took a serious hit Tuesday when NASCAR slapped his No.1 Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet team with severe penalties for a rules violation that occurred during opening day inspection last week at Daytona International Speedway.
Truex was docked 150 driver points after NASCAR officials discovered the roof of the car did not conform to the sanctioning body's specifications. Truex was 14th in the point standings, but after the penalty, he has now fallen to 18th, trailing 12th-place Tony Stewart by 238. There are eight races remaining before the "chase" begins, then only the top-12 drivers become eligible to compete for the Sprint Cup title in the final 10 races of the season.
Team owner Teresa Earnhardt was also penalized 150 owner points.
Both crew chief Kevin Manion and car chief Gary Putnam have been suspended from Sprint Cup competition for the next six races and placed on probation for the remainder of the year. Manion has also been fined $100,000.
After failing inspection on Thursday, NASCAR confiscated Truex's primary car and sent it to its research and development center in Concord, NC for further evaluation. Truex was forced to use a backup car in the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona. He qualified 35th and finished 17th.
Truex was one of the drivers who qualified for the "chase" in 2007. He finished the year 11th in points.
Meanwhile, DEI will exercise its 10-day period to decide if they want to appeal the penalty or not.
"We are still trying to understand how the car fit our templates multiple times at the shop, but we respect NASCAR's determination that one of our cars did not exactly conform to their template at the track," John Story, DEI vice president of motorsports, said in a team statement. "We have not decided if we will pursue our options to appeal. Under NASCAR's rules, we have 10 days to notify the sanctioning body of any appeal."
<< Blues sign Bernier to offer sheet
St. Louis, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The St. Louis Blues signed free agent
forward Steve Bernier Tuesday to an offer sheet worth $2.5 million for next
season.
Bernier spent last season with the Sharks and Sabres, tallying 16 goals and
<< Cubs acquire Harden from A's
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Cubs have acquired pitchers Rich
Harden and Chad Gaudin from the Oakland Athletics in exchange for pitcher Sean
Gallagher, outfielder Matt Murton, infielder Eric Patterson and catcher Josh
Donalds
<< Rezai, Wickmayer exit Palermo
Palermo, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Third-seeded Frenchwoman Aravane Rezai
and sixth-seeded Belgian Yanina Wickmayer were among the first-round losers
Tuesday at the Palermo International tennis tournament.
Paraguay's Rossana De Los
<< Tribe move Elarton to DL
Detroit, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cleveland Indians transferred Scott
Elarton to the 15-day disabled list with a non-baseball medical condition.
The right-hander was originally placed on the restricted list June 30 after
informin
Report: Magic ink G Pietrus >>
Orlando, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Orlando Magic have reportedly reached a
verbal agreement with former Golden State Warriors guard Mickael Pietrus on a
multi-year contract, general manager Otis Smith confirmed to the Florida Today
newspap
Rangers put Hurley on DL >>
Arlington, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Texas Rangers placed pitcher Eric Hurley
on the 15-day disabled list Tuesday due to a strained left hamstring.
The 22-year-old Hurley felt tightness when running in the outfield before
Friday's 10-
Padres' Tomko to DL, among other moves for San Diego >>
San Diego, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Diego Padres placed pitcher
Brett Tomko on the 15-day disabled list Tuesday with a strained right elbow.
The move is retroactive to July 1.
The journeyman right-hander has made two relief
Marlins C Treanor placed on DL >>
San Diego, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Florida Marlins placed catcher Matt
Treanor on the 15-day disabled list Tuesday with a left hip strain.
In 54 games behind the plate this season, Treanor has recorded a .240 batting
average to go
MySportsbook.com favors Bears, Bengals, Chargers and Colts to remain perfect
LAS VEGAS , Sept. 28 - Two big match-ups of undefeated teams have fans salivating at the Week Four schedule in the NFL. The Chicago Bears stifling defense looks to provide a less than hospitable welcome to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday night in a battle of two 3-0 teams in the NFC conference. In the AFC, the San Diego Chargers (2-0) head to Maryland to face the surprising Baltimore Ravens (3-0) as both try to keep pace atop the conference standings. Betting Lines makers at MySportsbook.com, online sportsbook and casino, have set the Bears as 3.5 point favorites while the Chargers are a 2.5 point bet.
Of the three remaining undefeated teams, only one, New Orleans, enters this week's game as an underdog. Despite an emotional and resounding win over Atlanta on Monday night, the Saints are a 7.5 point underdog against the struggling Carolina Panthers. Indianapolis looks to stay perfect when they face the New York Jets as a 9 point road favorite while the Cincinnati Bengals are a 6 point favorite at home to the New England Patriots.
Six teams enter the week still looking for their first win, with a seventh, Tampa Bay, on a bye week. The prospect of dropping another game would not bode well for a potential playoff run. Since 1990, just three teams -- the 1992 Chargers, 1995 Detroit Lions and 1998 Buffalo Bills -- have overcome losing their first three games of the season to earn a postseason berth. And only the Chargers managed to accomplish the feat after starting 0-4.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your NFL football betting needs.
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